The playfield restoration
I finished this part of the project in a little over 7 hours.
I decided to do the playfield a section at a time. I figured that if I remove everything all at once I might have trouble getting it to all go back on acurately, even with pictures.
While you have the bumpers disasembled, why not clean the leaf switches that activate them. Use a cotton swap and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Pinch the end so there is not too much liquid on it. Rub it on each side of the connectors, removing the carbon build up.
Tear down of left bumper assembly before cleaning
The switches here are adjusted properly for this game. If yours are giving you trouble, such as not activating soon enough, now is the time to adjust them. Also a playfield cleaning is the best time to replace other things as well. If your getting this machine for your home you will want it to be something that is exciting, and plays well. Why not change the bulbs and rubbers. Rubber kits are available online. If a kit for yours isn't, look in the manual for the list of parts. (You can download a manual for most machines in PDF format from The Internet Pinball Database).
LIGHTS:
Also you can replace all of the bulbs even if they are still working. There are a few important reasons why. You may notice that some have become blackened on the top. This causes them to burn hotter and can damage playfield plastics and backglasses over time. Also there are new options available for lights that can help extend the life of your power suppy and playfield parts. The bulb # 44 is common on most machines. It runs at 7 volts. If you replace all of these with # 47 bulb which uses 6.3 volts they will not use as much power. Of course they are slightly dimmer, but after I finished with this I really didn't notice. Plus its a way to help preserve your machine. Also replacing bulbs in hard to reach places, like under ramps with new ones that haven't been used yet will prevent you from having to tear apart again and take the old ones out that are already well into their life cycle. You can use a pencil eraser to clean out bulb sockets that seem to need it. Use the old rubber shooter tip to remove bulbs in recessed sockets. The common bulbs for this machine that I used were #47 (vast majority of them), #89, #555. You can buy packs of 10 of each from internet pinball suppliers. I replaced over 3 dozen bulbs for this playfield at a cost of less than $5.00. It made a huge difference in how bright and colorful it is now.
Partial teardown of upper playfield before cleaning and one new rubber installed
Be careful removing plastic ramps. They are a little brittle around the screw holes. They will ussually have a switch or two attached that must be removed. I cleaned the ramps with Novus #2 plastic cleaner. They went from having a brown film over them to looking great. You can also use this to clean the other playfield plastics. Be sure not to rub the underside with the decal too much to avoid wearing it down. I was also told it's best not to use this on the playfield itself, as it could remove paint
I used Millwax pinball playfield cleaner and wax to clean and protect the playfield surface. You can first use a rag with the cleaner and rub off grime and dirt. (Important: Be sure to use different rags for each type of cleaner you use) After wiping it off, rub losely some more and let it dry for a while. Afterward lightly remove it to reveal a great shine. Avoid using car wax or other types that remove paint. I completed this a section at a time as I was replacing rubbers and bulbs.
Why not clean everything:
You can use the playfield wax to give metal kickers, metal sidewalls and passages a once over. It will remove any playfield residue and help to make your job last longer.
As you can see, the playfield has some wear on it, most likely from heavy use and not being serviced regularly. This picture shows the playfield after I was finished. It does make a huge difference. With the wax, and new rubbers it will have some protection and a great shine. Overall with the new bulbs included it will seem like a completely different experience.
Tips on putting it all back together:
Before you reasemble difficult to reach places, turn your machine on for a few moments to see if the bulbs work. There may be some that are part of the play experience and they will not come on. You could use the test feature in the menu if it has one to check those or activate them manually with a running game.
Be sure not to fasten plastic parts too tightly. With age and heat from the bulbs they will not have the consistency of a new part. This is especially true of the pop bumpers in this picture.
Before you use your machine get some new balls. Obviously get whatever amount it requires. The old balls will be like sandpaper to the playfield becasue they are pitted and scratched from years of slamming into things.
Be sure the screw goes in the correct hole. Avoid stripping out a screw hole or splintering the playfield.
You can use an air duster to blow off the playfield to remove any wax particles, etc you may have missed. (Keep air duster cans away from children)
This is a "ball's eye view" of a section of the finished playfield. It has made a dramatic improvement. This game became a lot more enjoyable to look at and play. It's faster with the new rubbers. Brighter with the new bulbs. Shiny with its new wax.
